Archive for the ‘Goals and Dreams’ Category

Sometimes we make goals harder than they need to be. Small goals are great, too. Take my experience on Monday for instance, when I was in the middle of a workout and made a goal to continue exercising until the timer reached 23 minutes. I looked at the panel only to realize it did not show 22:15 minutes like I thought it would,* but rather 19:59. I’d eaten too many sweets that morning, so 23 minutes seemed like an eternity away. But I made it. In fact, I was so thrilled about reaching my goal without falling off the exercise machine that I decided to go even longer—until 40 minutes, in fact. Making it to 23 minutes—that’s a great goal. Making it to 40 minutes—that felt even better.

* Yes, my lofty goal was 45 more seconds. But to my credit, I was fighting off a cold and was more tired than normal.

A few years ago, I visited the Big Apple. Seeing the amazing art in the museums, experiencing the hubbub of the big city, and strolling around the area was a blast. A highlight was seeing a Chihuly exhibit in The New York Botanical Garden—I love Chihuly’s work. One of my most memorable moments, though, came while seeing Wicked on Broadway. The musical itself was absolutely incredible, but there was a lesson that struck me even more.

I remember looking at the actors about twenty minutes into the production and thinking, “These people made it to Broadway. They achieved their dreams. They must be thrilled.” They were living a dream—a dream that had been many years and hours upon hours of hard work in the making. They overcame doubt and fear and pursued one of their talents with a depth that allowed them to share their work with the world. It made me completely ecstatic to see them fulfilling a dream.

This week, Creating Keepsakes made an announcement I can’t help but compare to the experience I had watching Wicked. We announced the 2010 Dream Team—a group of 10 amazingly talented women whose work will grace our magazine and website for the next year. I want to add my sincere congratulations to

Plus, Mou Saha was announced as a new contributing writer for 2010. She is a creative genius.

I’ve had the chance to work with each of these incredible women, and they never cease to inspire me. They’re fantastic scrappers and fantastic people who I am grateful to know. A huge thanks to each of them for being so wonderful and for sharing their talents and their lives. I know many of them had dreamed of achieving this honor, and I congratulate them for their hard work and thank them for their example in pursuing their dreams.

So, what goal have you been dreaming about? Let’s let the passion of these women and the people on Broadway inspire us to pursue a dream we’re each passionate about. I have a goal I’ve wanted to pursue for years, but I’ve always been too afraid to make the plunge. (It seems like the first step is always the most daunting, doesn’t it?) Today I was motivated by these women to make one of my dreams a reality. I won’t put it off any longer. I’m setting a goal to work on it at least once a week (that sounds doable, doesn’t it?). I’ll check back in with you every once in a while to let you know how it’s going. If you’ve had a goal you’ve wanted to pursue for a while, today feels like a good day to start, doesn’t it?

This WillowTree statue is called "Happiness," with the caption "free to sing, laugh, dance . . . create!" It has always inspired me.

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl who loved to edit (much to the dismay of her middle-school and high-school peers who thought she used too much red pencil when peer editing their papers, thank you very much). When the girl went to college, she decided editing would be just the ticket for her (and she was right—she loves it). During a business class, she met the founding editor of Creating Keepsakes magazine. She knew immediately the company would be the perfect place for her and hoped to one day find a home there.

Shortly after graduating, she applied for a position at the magazine. Heavenly Father blessed her very much, and she was able to obtain the job. A year later, she was promoted, and she was very grateful. A little while later, she was promoted again and then again. The girl felt very blessed and humbled with each change. She’d dreamed of going to the moon, and she found she’d been able to travel through an entire galaxy—what an incredible ride.

Then one day the girl realized her world had changed a little. She’d always dreamed of being a girl with many adventures, one of which was working for the magazine. With each promotion, she viewed the change as a great step in her grand adventure and didn’t mind working more hours because she enjoyed her job. With her great love for the magazine, she soon developed a habit of working way too many overtime hours each week, and she didn’t have time for many other adventures anymore. The girl wanted adventures and wanted to keep in better touch with the people who mean so much to her, so she realized she needed a change—one where she could still fulfill her dream of working for the magazine but where she would also have time to pursue other dreams (and get a little more sleep at night).

She made the decision to apply for a new position where she would have more time to be with her family and friends, develop new talents, play in the sun, and explore the kingdom. At first she was worried people may think she made a bad decision in her career by stepping away from her current job, but she knew the change felt right, and so she decided not to worry anymore. To her delight, she received the job offer. She couldn’t wait to begin a new adventure and reclaim her grand adventure, and she smiled ever time she thought about the change and the new job.

Now her story begins again, once upon a time. . . .

***

It’s true: after 3.5 incredible years of working as the managing editor for Creating Keepsakes magazine, I’m making a change. It’s time to reclaim my life in full, and I’m excited for what’s coming. I’ll still be at CK (of course!), but starting tomorrow it’s time to go from M.E. (managing editor at the magazine) to me (plain and simple me who happens to have an extremely cool job of senior online editor for Creating Keepsakes). Wish me luck on my new adventure and the many more that are soon to come as a result.

I bought a lot last week. “A lot of what?” you might ask. My response: a lot.

No, really, I bought a lot, or as Merriam-Webster defines it, “a portion of land; a measured parcel of land having fixed boundaries and designated on a plot or survey.”

That’s right. I am officially a property owner. The little pile of dirt in the photo at left is now mine. Well, technically it still belongs to the bank, but it will be mine eventually. I’ve been eyeing this piece of property for about a year and a half, but it was too expensive. With the slowing economy, the price finally dropped to a rate I could afford.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve driven by it over the last 18 (or more?) months, hoping upon hope that I could eventually call it home. I feel so blessed and grateful that it ended up in my hands. After I waited that long to obtain the property, you’d think my parable today would be about patience. It could be, but it’s not. Instead, this little plot of land makes me think about having a dream.

But before I get into that, let me tell you why I love this land so much. I love it because it has a view of the valley, which is incredible at night. I love it because I can see three temples from the backyard, which brings me peace beyond comprehension to look at. I love it because I can envision a garden in the back that will teach me about labor and about stewardship. I love it because I can picture a red-brick home with white trim standing firm on the foundation; I probably won’t have a white picket fence, but I do hope to have a flagpole. I love it because I can picture that home having a library and an abundance of board games; I can picture it filled with family, friends, laughter, testimony, and love.

That little piece of property may look like it’s just a mound of dirt (and a plethora of rocks, which you can’t see here), but in reality, it’s filled with dreams. I don’t plan to build on it soon, but one day in the future it will see the reality of many of those dreams. This little land of mine, I’m going to let it shine.

Just like each new day we’re given; each new person we have the opportunity to meet, learn from, and grow together with; each new book we can read; and each new experience provided to us in our lives, this land is filled with possibilities and dreams that have yet to come to fruition. There’s a wonderful excitement that comes with having those dreams.

The world is waiting at our hands for us to create something new with what we have. I’d love to hear what you’re creating—just leave a comment.